


Almost Home

by CryforKeith



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Langst, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-21 14:26:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15559728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CryforKeith/pseuds/CryforKeith
Summary: Lance is upset. He's pouty. Just a little.He wants to go home- can you blame him? He's been in a space war for over a year.Team Voltron has been travelling planet to planet to spread the word of Lotor's demise, and Lance is tired of it. They land on a planet of dragon-like people and end up staying much longer than Lance would like.Based on a prompt given to me by loncemcuwu on tumblr.





	Almost Home

**Author's Note:**

> The story was rushed but hey it's okay  
> I asked for Klance prompts on my tumblr (same user) and basically the whole plot was suggested by loncemcuwu.  
> This isn't really a klance fic, just a fic sprinkled with klance, but eh.
> 
> The violence is probably literally like a sentence, but just in case.
> 
> I wrote the majority of this before the trailer came out, just so you know.

“Can’t we just deal with it later?” Lance pouted.

“We can’t just leave people confused. The universe could spiral out of control.  _ Again.  _ We have to tell people what happened, even if it does interfere with certain aspirations,” Allura replied, obviously annoyed.

“We’ve already stopped to tell, like, ten planets. Can’t they spread the word for us?”

“Do you have any idea how big the universe is?”

“That’s enough, Lance,” Keith cut in. “I know how badly you want to go back to Earth, but before we do that, we have a duty to those who have been affected by the Galra.”

“We miss Earth, too, Lance. But they have a right to know,” Hunk added. 

Lance pouted again. He  _ hated _ the wait. The trip to Earth was already going to be a long one, since they didn’t have the castle anymore, and now it was taking even  _ longer _ . Keith grabbed his hand, gently, and whispered to him. 

“I know you miss them. I’ll make sure you see them soon.”

“Promise?” Lance asked his boyfriend.

“Promise.”

“Alright then,” Lance sighed. “What’s our next stop?”

“A planet called Kaakuhan. English translation: Ego. Perfect for you, Lance,” Pidge snickered. Lance scoffed. Sure, he sometimes overestimated himself, but wasn’t that a good thing? Plus, it wasn’t like he never  _ under _ estimated himself. He felt Keith squeeze his hand as a sign of reassurance to tell Lance, “ _ I know,”  _ and that was all that was important. Keith made him feel important.

“Well, if we’re done here, let’s get a move on to Kaakuhan!” Coran exclaimed.

Having already bid their goodbyes to the planet they were on, they quickly boarded their lions to start their new journey. It would be short one, taking less than a quintant to arrive, but a journey nonetheless. 

 

Upon arrival, the group was instantly greeted by the people of Kaakuhan, having been notified prior to their arrival, awaiting the information Voltron was to bring.

The citizens were tall, probably averaging 7 feet. Adding to their height were horns, the number and styles of the horns varying. Some resembled that of a ram’s, other’s of antelopes, etc. Their horns were the main things that would differentiate them from each other, most of them having fairly similar builds, strong cheekbones, and (seemingly made of rock) pastel skin that varied in color, with eyes with sharp inner corners and long lashes, the color resembling mercury (the poisonous liquid, not the planet) and their pupils thin diamond shapes. The group reminded Lance of pastel dragons, having thick tails but very few having wings. The majority of the group wore dark, metallic armour, decorated with geometric designs and dark gems, and carried sharp weapons.

One had ram-like black horns, one obviously broken, and pastel-blue skin. Their armour was the same as the rest of the citizens, but across their forehead was a silver band- assumingly a crown- resembling Allura’s, but designed with geometric patterns rather than a gem. They stepped forward to speak. “I am Elha. We are the beings of Kaakuhan; the Ako. Here, I am king, and I expect to be greeted as so.”

Lance sneezed. The Ako gasped, some in disgust, some in mortal terror. 

“How  _ dare _ you exert such a sound in my presence?” Elha boomed. Some of the Ako pointed spears toward Lance. He paled, unable to find a response. Keith jumped in front of him. 

“It was an accident, your highness. Humans are incapable of preventing that from happening.”

Elha’s eyes darkened a deep black,  then returned to their normal silver as Elha began to laugh a deep laugh. 

“Just a joke the Ako love to play on new beings,” they cackled. Lance grimaced. This wasn’t the best way to start off a mission he already didn’t want to be on. Had it not been unprofessional, Lance would have grabbed Keith and dragged him in the red lion and stayed there for the remainder of the trip. 

“Alright, well,” Shiro started, “we’re here strictly on business, so if we could get started on that-”

“Of course, move with me to my place of stay and we shall discuss what you wish to speak of.”

Lance narrowed his eyes at Elha. He had a feeling this was going to be a longer trip than he hoped.

Shiro gave Lance the “disapproving dad” look, making Lance sigh, and refrain from giving Elha the death stare. Keith chuckled, and laced his fingers with Lance’s, knowing he was quite unhappy with the situation. 

“It’ll be over soon,” Keith reassured him. Lance nodded, walking closer to Keith as they followed the Ako.  _ I hope so.  _

 

“As you must know, Emperor Zarkon was defeated in battle by his son, Prince Lotor, quite a while ago, leading to Prince Lotor taking the throne,” Allura began. Lance heard one of the Ako chuckle, mockingly, and almost changed his mind about them. “Recently, however, his reign has come to an abrupt end, due to certain… complications.”

“Complications?” Elha asked, suppressing a smirk. Lance knew a smirk when he saw one, and Elha was trying to hide their interest in the downfall of Lotor. Even though Lotor turned out to be a cruel maniac, the other planets they had visited were worried when hearing of Lotor’s failure, having believed he was going to bring about a new era of freedom throughout the universe that the Galra had previously taken by force. Violent force. Although it pleased him to see someone take pleasure in the misery of Lotor, it also greatly unnerved him. What was their reason for believing this was such a good thing?

“Lotor had a mindset that differed from his father’s, but it was not better. He was cruel, and dangerous. Fortunately, we were able to bring him down before he could cause a greater harm than he already had.” 

“What was he trying to achieve?” Elha asked. 

Allura explained that although distributing quintessence throughout the galaxies would indeed benefit some who might need or simply want it, his methods of obtaining quintessence were barbaric. 

“Unfortunately, due to the loss of Lotor, Voltron no longer has a hold on the Galra Empire, and there is no telling who will lead next. Lotor may have been against the Galra, but he was also against everyone else. Even with Lotor in power, not everyone sided with us, and the number of those who did will surely decrease.”

The discussion went on, the same speech Allura gave on every planet, explaining how Lotor was basically a maniac. 

The Ako asked a lot of questions, and soon it was dark, and the paladins were offered rooms to stay in, so that they may discuss more in the morning.

“Actually,” Lance started, “we have somewhere to be, so if you don’t mind, we’ll be leavi-”

“Nonsense!” Allura cut in, then whispered to Lance, “if things go dark with the Empire again, we’ll need allies.”

Lance grumbled, taking Keith’s hand, allowing one of the Ako to show them to their room. Once inside, Lance flopped on the bed and groaned. Keith giggled.

“Don’t be cute, I’m trying to be mad,” Lance mumbled, the sheets muffling his words. Keith crawled up next to him. “Allura’s never had to explain for more than a couple vargas, even if we did stay longer to rest, and they want to talk  _ more _ ? What more  _ is  _ there?” he cried, sitting up, allowing Keith to wrap his arms around him. “And what’s their deal? Elha looked  _ glad _ Lotor was gone.”

“Well, technically, it’s a good thing that he was removed from power,” Keith argued.

“Yeah, but what will it lead to? Haggar could come to power, or Sendak! All the work we’ve done could be completely reversed!”

“So, you’d rather have Lotor, or-”

“I’d rather Voltron be in power! The Blade, the Rebels, someone outside of the Galra Empire! There are literally billions of galaxies, and with the Galra having grown over  _ ten thousand years _ spreading like a deadly virus, everyone is in danger. I died, Keith! Do you have any idea how scar-”

“Wait, what? You _ died? _ Why the  _ hell _ am I just now finding out?” Keith roared. He was growling a bit, his emotions triggering his Galra traits. 

“Well it’s not like I  _ stayed _ dead, Keith,” Lance laughed, nervously. 

Keith gripped Lance’s hands, tight, then quickly loosened his hold, for fear of hurting him. “That is  _ so _ not the point, Lance. What were you thinking? Imagine if we didn’t have this space magic bullshit that gives us ‘extra’ lives. I can’t lose you,” Keith murmured softly. 

“What about you?” Lance stammered, tears forming in his eyes. “You were going to sacrifice yourself, you’re- we’re  _ all _ lucky Lotor was there before you could.”

Keith paused for a moment, cooling down. “That was before I had you,” he whispered. “It was before I realized I could matter to someone, not just as an asset to some mission. You make me better, Lance. Let me do the same for you.”

Not knowing how to respond, Lance simply gave Keith a kiss. 

“So you agree we need to be more careful?” Lance asked, softly.

“Of course.”

“Good, because there is no way I’m putting my trust in some aliens we met four vargas ago.”

Keith laughed, and the pair kicked off their shoes, removed their armour, and slept till the suns rose.

 

_ You would think with two suns this planet would be boiling,  _ Lance thought, shivering as he glanced down at his boyfriend hogging the blanket. He couldn’t even pretend to be mad if he wanted to, because Keith looked  _ adorable _ , disregarding that he was a grown man.

Lance tried to sit up, and Keith’s hold on him grew tighter. His breathing changed, so Lance knew he was awake.

“Morning, babe,” he laughed as Keith buried his face in Lance’s shirt. Keith mumbled a “good morning” back, and wrapped his legs around Lance. 

“Come on, dude, I have to pee,” Lance giggled, pushing Keith away.  _ Adorable _ , he thought.

“Don’t call me dude,” Keith grumbled sleepily, and let go of Lance. He felt a peck on his forehead and heard Lance’s bare feet pattering on the floor. 

Keith was wide awake, already back in full armour by the time Lance came out wearing a face mask. Lance groaned.

“Do we seriously have to sit through  _ more _ diplomatic shit?” 

“As the technical leader of Voltron, I’m probably obligated to attend these meetings to reassure them, and make it clear that we take them seriously. But even though you’re my right hand, I’m sure you don't have to if you don't want to,” Keith replied, pulling Lance to stand between his legs where he sat on the bed. 

Lance put his arms over Keith’s shoulders, and gave him a short kiss, and Keith circled his thumbs where they sat on Lance’s hips. “Are you sure? I mean, it’ll probably be boring, and I  _ definitely _ don’t want to deal with it, but I don’t want to just leave you.”

“It’s fine, you’ve helped out plenty on other planets, you deserve some you time. Go explore the planet with Hunk and Pidge or something, and bring me back something sparkly.” He kissed Lance once more, and they parted, Lance to remove his face mask, and Keith to attend the meeting.

 

“Sure. I was hoping to check out the tech on this planet,” Pidge answered when Lance asked her if she wanted to shop. Hunk agreed, as well, hoping to find more ingredients to cook with for their trip to Earth.

The streets of the “city” they were in were toned in mostly dark colors, contrasting with the pastel skin tones of the Ako, who looked as though they were glowing against the pavement. Many were wearing the dark armour of Kaakuhan soldiers, however, so only parts glowed. After roaming the streets for a bit, the three stopped to eat at a place that seemed to only sell what looked like spices. Surrounding them were groups of Ako eating different colored “food” that had the texture of soft sand. 

“Is this food?” Hunk asked a vendor, who shoveled a sample of the colorful “sand”, and handed it to him. Accepting the sample, he tasted it, immediately freezing where he stood.

“Hunk?” Pidge asked, waving a hand in front of his face. 

“You have to try it,” Hunk gushed, buying a couple tubs of the sand. “It feels like cotton candy in your mouth, but tastes like… can something taste fruity and spicy at the same time?” 

“Duh, man. Tajin?” Lance stated, rolling his eyes. 

“No, no, I mean like the artificial, candy-fruit taste, sweeter than seasoned fruit, but a salty spice mixed in” Hunk replied, stars in his eyes, as Pidge tried a spoonful. 

“This one tastes like mint and coffee put together! My two favorite flavors!” Pidge laughed, buying a tub of her own.

“Are you sure this is safe? What if it’s poison to humans? Like deadly, or affects you like alcohol,” questioned Lance, raising an eyebrow. 

“Relax, man, I feel fine. I even feel a little less hungry.” Hunk sat down at a table with Pidge, and Lance slumped against a wall. He  _ was _ hungry. But he wanted to be careful. Kaakuhan seemed strange. More strange than usual, considering he was on an alien planet.

As he waited for Pidge and Hunk to finish eating their “food”, he tried to relax, and closed his eyes, listening to the sounds around him. There was chatter about relationships, food quality, basic gossip, etc. Lance listened the closest to the conversations about Voltron. One conversation in particular caught his attention, and kept it. 

“The Galra Empire has been greatly weakened. They have been divided by Lotor,” one voice said.

“No one is in power,” said another. 

“It is time we take Voltron for ourselves, and begin a new empire.”

Lance’s eyes snapped open, and he looked towards where the sound was coming from, but saw no one. 

“Did you hear that?” Lance asked the pair, who were currently whispering to each other, and giggling. “Oh, no.”

“Pfft… Lance has a crush on Keith!” Pidge exclaimed, giggling against Hunk. 

“We’ve established this already!” Lance grumbled. “Come on, we should get you guys back to the king’s palace so we can figure out how to fix you.”

“Okie dokie,” Hunk laughed, throwing Pidge over his shoulder, letting Lance drag them back to the palace, forgetting the voices he’d heard.

 

“So, they’re like, high?” 

“Pretty much,” Coran explained. “Their endorphin levels have been greatly heightened, if that’s what you mean. To the Ako, it is a simple source of energy. However, it seems that to any other specimen it has the effect of a sort of ‘happy’ drug.”

“Great. How do we fix it?” Lance sighed.

“The effects could wear off in a few doboshes, or could take a few quintants. I can’t calculate the exact time. There doesn’t seem to be anything to counteract the effects by force, unfortunately.”

Lance groaned, and buried his face in his hands. They weren’t going  _ anywhere _ with Pidge and Hunk as a couple of giggling idiots. Lance kept having to remind them what their names were, and he couldn’t even tell if they were just messing with him. 

He thanked Coran for the intel, and directed Pidge and Hunk to their rooms, then retreated to his own.  _ Quiznak, I forgot to get Keith something sparkly, _ Lance thought on the way. He opened the door to the room he shared with Keith, grateful to see that he was already there. It had been a long day.

“Hey, you’re back! How’d it go-”

Lance slumped against Keith, pushing them both down onto the bed, and Keith snickered. “Not great, I’m guessing?”

Lance didn’t want to be asked questions. He didn’t want to answer them. It felt like work to open his mouth to form words. Keith, of course, recognized this mood, and went on to tell Lance about the meeting.

“King Elha agreed to ally with us, should we need their help. They showed us the variations of technology and weaponry that could be used in assistance to defend the universe against the Galra.”

“How… vast is the king’s ‘collection’?” Lance mumbled against Keith. 

“It’s pretty big, actually, it’s a good thing we stopped here. The Ako could do some real damage if they wanted to.”

“Keith, I really don’t think we should trust them. I heard some of the Ako talking about-”

“Lance, they could really help us, and, hey, they’re throwing us a party tomorrow, in celebration of the Voltron/Ako alliance.”

“But Keith-”

“I’ll even dance with you.  _ One _ dance,” Keith laughed. Lance sighed, allowing himself to be enveloped in Keith’s arms, imagining twirling Keith on the dance floor, and he smiled. 

_ Maybe I imagined it _ .  _ I’ll go back tomorrow and get Keith something sparkly, _ he thought, and drifted off to sleep.

 

Although he wanted to go home, Lance quite enjoyed visiting the planets- he just wished their stays were shorter. Some planets were pretty, but it seemed like the Ako were trying to darken the natural, pastel beauty of Kaakuhan. The contrast itself was beautiful, but some of the more Ako-made parts of the city looked gloomy. 

Lance eventually stumbled upon a shop that sold items that sparkled, and immediately entered, wanting a change of pace from the darkness of the town. He contemplated buying Keith a ring- not to propose, just because it looked nice. But, Keith always wore gloves, fingerless or not, so it would probably be a little strange. After roaming through everything for half a varga, he found what Lance assumed was a sparkling, yet dark, red hair pin shaped like a triangle. He always liked when Keith did his hair, and this would add a bit of glam. It took awhile for the Ako selling it to agree to an offer. Lance had it wrapped- apparently presents are intergalactic customs- and started his way back to the king’s palace.

In no way was Lance growing fond Kaakuhan, but he was getting used to the idea of being there. They were probably going to end up staying a while, based on how much of that drugged sand Pidge and Hunk ate. That was fine, because he cared greatly for his friends’ health, but he was also homesick. As soon as Keith said they were going home, he wanted to kiss him then and there, and that was before he knew he had feelings for him. He supposed that should’ve been a hint. 

His attention was torn away from thoughts of Earth upon hearing a familiar voice.

“Why would they suspect anything?” it said. Lance  _ knew _ that voice- the city was small but it couldn’t be  _ that _ small could it?

“The new beings were near in distance when we last spoke. One could have heard us.”

“They were partaking of the Sunog Sands, even if they did hear us, they could think it to be a mind trick, given the effects of it on other beings.”

A third voice was added into the conversation, saying, “the blue being did not partake, but perhaps he was sleeping, his eyes were not showing.” 

“Perhaps. Enough speak of this, do not lose your memory of the plan. It shall occur during the celebration.”

Lance started walking opposite the direction the voices were coming from, luckily being the direction towards the palace, as he tried to recall the conversation he heard from those same voices the previous day.  _ It is time we take Voltron for ourselves,  _ his memories told him. He knew he didn’t imagine it, of  _ course _ there had to be something wrong with this planet. He felt it in his gut. King Elha asked them to extended their stay to join a celebration, the Ako  _ know _ the effects of the Sunog Sands on others yet gave it out with no warning, the king was practically jumping for joy at news of Lotor’s demise, which isn’t exactly a bad thing, but strange nonetheless, since they didn’t know he was maniacal. Lance was running now.

He burst into him and Keith’s room, about to tell Keith they needed to “get off this damn planet!” but then he saw Keith. He looked  _ gorgeous _ . Lance’s jaw literally dropped, and for once, literally the worst time, he was speechless.

His outfit had to be Altean- the designs looked softer than the harsh geometrics of Kaakuhan. He was dressed in prince-like clothes, head to toe in red and black, but his outfit didn’t matter, because Keith was  _ glowing _ . Not literally, but his skin looked gorgeous, his scar even a bit smoother, and his eyes bright. Though dressed in the fanciest outfit Keith’s ever worn, for some reason, he had neglected to do his hair.

“How do I look?” Keith asked, giggling at Lance’s reaction to his appearance.

“Beautiful,” Lance spoke without hesitation. Keith’s blush was almost as red as his outfit. 

“There’s one for you too, Allura had outfits made for everyone to wear at the party,” he replied, gesturing to the suit on their bed, identical to Keith’s, but decorated with blue. “What’s in the box?”

“Oh!” Lance explained, remembering his gift. “I got you something sparkly.”

Keith laughed, accepting it from Lance. He unwrapped the box, looking confused upon pulling out his gift. “What even is this?” Keith laughed.

“I’m pretty sure it’s a hair clip, let me do your hair for you and I’ll show you.”

Lance sat cross legged on the bed and patted a spot next to him after moving his suit, and Keith sat down. He combed his finger’s through Keith’s hair, then tied two strands into a half-up-half-down style, pinning it in place with the triangular clip. “There, now you look perfect.”

“I didn’t look perfect before?” Keith mocked. 

Lance pushed him playfully and picked up his suit. “Shut up, I’m gonna change.”

“Need help?”

Lance laughed, deciding to change in the bathroom simply to bug Keith. Since he wasn’t able to be distracted by Keith’s beauty, his head was drawn back to the Ako he heard talking. The moment he was done changing he left to tell Keith.

“Hey, listen, I heard some of the Ako talking while I was out shopping,” he started. “I think something bad is going to happen at the celebration, and while we looks fantastic, I really think we should just leave.”

“Lance I know you want to go home, but-”

“It’s not just about that! I think the Ako are planning to steal the lions while we’re distracted by the party,” he interrupted Keith.    
“What would they need the lions for when they have their own, powerful weapons?”

“Well, they probably don’t  _ need _ them, but-”

“Exactly. Now let’s go, we’re going to be late.” Lance huffed and took the hand Keith offered to him. 

_ Guess I’ll just take matters into my own hands. _

 

They were the last of Voltron’s crew to arrive, but Lance used being “fashionably late” as an excuse, even though they were technically the guests of honor, and were already going to get attention. King Elha presented the paladins and gave a speech about their alliance, telling their people to spread the word that Voltron was still with them. 

Though Lance was dying to dance with Keith, he was also anxious about the upcoming disaster. He didn’t know who to trust. With every step the two got towards the dance floor, they were greeted by another Ako, each wanting a chance to speak with the leader and right hand of Voltron. Allura was the only one not dancing besides them, conversing with the king. Even Krolia was dancing.  _ One  _ dance, that’s all he wanted.   
While tuning out the conversation between Keith and another Ako, his ears were drawn to another conversation between the voices he’s been hearing since being on Kaakuhan.

“It is now, while the beings are distracted!”

“Let’s go!”

Lance quickly excused himself, chasing after the voices that have been causing him distress. He thought he was close, and would’ve kept running, until he heard a cry for help. Looking around, he noticed one of the Ako laying on the ground, clutching their leg, a look of agony on their face.

“Please! Help! Some beings attacked me, I cannot walk!” they cried. Lance sighed, approaching the Ako. He kneeled down close to them.

“What’s wron-” he heard himself groan, feeling a sharp pain in his stomach. He looked down just as the Ako pulled away a glowing, green knife, stained with Lance’s blood. 

“It will take effect near in time,” the Ako stated, calmly standing, and walking away as if nothing happened. 

“Help…” Lance whispered. His vision grew blurry, but he could clearly see his own veins popping out, green in color.  _ Poison,  _ he thought. 

“Lance!” he heard Keith yell, and a blurry Keith with tears in his eyes was the last thing he saw before everything went black.

 

“What’s taking so long?” Keith growled, pounding his fist on a table. 

“Well, Lance was poisoned, and while the cryopod can easily heal a flesh wound, cleansing the body of foreign matter does take a bit of time,” Allura explained.

“It’s been a week! Shouldn’t he be out by no-” Keith cut himself off at the sound of the healing pod opening, his eyes filling with tears. Lance groaned and Keith was at his side in seconds, greeting him with kisses. Allura left, so they could be alone. 

“Well hello to you too,” Lance giggled, reaching up to put a hand on Keith’s cheek. “Why are you crying?”

“You idiot,” Keith paused to kiss him. “What happened to being careful? You went and got yourself stabbed!”

“Well you wouldn’t listen so I… wait, what happened? You stopped them right? They wanted their own empire!”

“Yeah, we still have the lions, and I doubt they’re going to be able to build an empire, but don’t change the subject! I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to you, but that doesn’t mean you go try and save everyone by yourself, Lance. I told you, there are people who love you,  _ I _ love you, you can’t just go around sacrificing yourself.”

“You did it…” Lance murmured, chuckling. “Besides, it’s not like I was expecting to get stabbed.”

“You went chasing after people who you suspected were dangerous enemies without your bayard or any other protection, you were practically asking for it.”

“Yeah, okay. I won’t do that again. Hey, um, how long was I out?” Lance asked, looking around the room for food. 

“A little over a week. We’ve been moving the whole time, no diplomatic breaks. You know what that means?”

“Hm?”

“We’re almost home.”

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to write a whole battle between team voltron and the ako while Lance recovered in a pod, but I don't like reading that stuff so why would I write it lmao


End file.
